Tag: Murder
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Denver man sentenced to life in prison for South Platte River Trail homicides
A Denver man will spend his life in prison after killing two people on the South Platte River Trail. A Denver District judge sentenced Tanner Fielder to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday in connection to the 2023 deaths of 43-year-old Jeremy Hutcheson and 31-year-old Lluvia Robles-Banuelos, according to a news release…
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Lakewood burglary, murder suspect arrested
The Lakewood Police Department arrested a man in connection to the burglary-turned-homicide of an elderly woman last week. Arthur Joseph Maestas IV, 41, appeared in front of Jefferson County Judge Jennifer Melton Friday morning, rubbing his temples and looking downward at the podium. Maestas continued to shake his head as his public defender, Zulfi Wafai,…
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Westminster murder suspect released from jail a week before woman went missing
A newly released affidavit in the killing of a Westminster mother describes a disturbing sequence of events in the days before police found her body and raises new questions about why the man now accused in her death was released from jail just one week before she disappeared. Annette Marie Valdez, a 37-year-old mother of…
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Lakewood police still investigating burglary turned homicide
The Lakewood Police Department is investigating an alleged burglary that ended in a homicide Saturday evening. Police responded to 300 S. Kendall St. — in a cul-de-sac next to West Alameda Avenue — Saturday evening after someone reported that a woman was found dead in her home, according to the department. Officials said they believe…
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Clear Creek man pleads guilty to murder of dog breeder
The Idaho Springs man suspected of killing a prestigious dog breeder and stealing his puppies pleaded guilty Monday morning. Sergio Ferrer, 37, appeared in a Clear Creek County court Monday and pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder, and also to a count of robbery with a deadly weapon in connection with the death…
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38-year-old cold case murder tied to infamous Denver-area serial killer
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced a resolution to a 38-year-old cold case murder Tuesday. Using modern DNA and forensic analysis, investigators determined that the killer of Rhonda Marie Fisher — found dead in 1987 — was Vincent Groves, believed to be responsible for at least a dozen killings in the metro Denver area during…
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Denver man charged with murder in jail death
A man with a violent criminal history has been charged with murder in connection to the death of an inmate at the Denver Sheriff Department jail. The Denver District Attorney’s Office charged 38-year-old Ricky Roybal-Smith with first-degree murder Wednesday in connection to the death of 34-year-old Vincent Chacon on June 30, according to a news…
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Colorado justices ponder ‘gotcha’ for defendant after messy process impacted mental health evidence
Some members of the Colorado Supreme Court were uncomfortable last week with letting a defendant’s murder conviction stand after a series of missteps resulted in a trial judge blocking jurors from hearing an expert’s assessment of the defendant’s mental health. Although the details were complicated, the legal issue was more streamlined: State law requires defendants…
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Appeals court overturns road rage murder conviction due to faulty jury instruction
Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a defendant’s murder conviction on Thursday, concluding an Arapahoe County judge provided an incorrect self-defense instruction to the jury about the road rage encounter. In November 2020, Romeo Desean Thompson was behind Phillip Hunt at an intersection. The light turned green, but Hunt did not immediately move forward. Thompson honked, after…
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Two charged with murder of woman in Westminster parking lot
Two men face murder charges after a fatal shooting in Westminster last month. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said it officially filed murder charges against 19-year-old Daniel Romero and 24-year-old Michael Fernandez, Jr. on Monday morning. The charges stem from an incident that occurred in a parking lot in the 8400 block of Decatur…